Multi-mode barcode resolution system

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for generating and resolving multi-mode barcodes include a device scanning and translating graphical data representing a barcode pattern into barcode information. The device detects distinct data items in the barcode information that each specifies an action to be taken by the device, and then transmits a request for a preference order to a remote server. Next, the device receives the preference order indicating a ranking of the distinct data items and determines, based on the ranking, an order in which actions specified by the data items are to be taken by the device. The device identifies a data item that the device is capable of taking the action specified by the data item and has a higher ranking in the preference order than the actions specified by all other data items that the device is capable of taking, and performs the action specified by the data item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of the co-pending U.S. patent application titled, “MULTI-MODE BARCODE RESOLUTION SYSTEM,” filed on May 4, 2015 and having Ser. No. 14/703,292, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application titled, “MULTI-MODE BARCODE RESOLUTION SYSTEM,” filed Aug. 19, 2011 and having Ser. No. 13/213,581, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,022,280, which claims priority to Indian Patent Application titled, “MULTI-MODE BARCODE RESOLUTION SYSTEM,” filed Jun. 24, 2011 and having Application No. 1806/DEL/2011. The subject matter of these related applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for generating and resolving barcodes.

BACKGROUND

As more and more business, governmental, academic, and scientific operations become increasingly computer-enabled and, thus, dependent on the storage and manipulation of electronic or digital information, a greater need arises for efficient mechanisms for converting “physical” information into electronic or digital information capable of storage and manipulation by computers.

“Physical” information may include essentially any kind of information that is stored primarily in tangible, physical form, such as on paper, and is not readily available in electronic or digital form, but must instead be converted or translated into electronic or digital form through the use of electronic devices and/or manual human data-entry. For example, a utility bill printed on a piece paper received by a customer may be a form of “physical” information. Although the information printed on the utility bill may already exist in electronic or digital form—for example, in a commercial database operated by the utility company—that electronic information may not be available to the customer. Instead, if the customer wishes to store or manipulate the information printed on the paper document using a computer, he or she must either manually enter the information into a computer program or use a device, such as a scanner, that is designed to convert physical information into electronic or digital information.

Although the scanner in the above the example may effectively convert physical information to electronic information by generating a digital image of the scanned paper, because the printed bill would likely have not been formatted in a manner tailored to machine scanning and information extraction, the data captured from scanning the paper may include significant unnecessary graphical data or “noise.” Or, the scanner may not accurately read various characters, depending on the size of the font or the resolution of the scan. One solution that has been developed to address the need for efficiently and accurately converting physical information to electronic or digital information is the barcode.

A barcode is an optical, machine-readable image in which the information sought to be communicated by the barcode is arranged as a series of parallel lines of varying widths and spacings. Barcodes are typically scanned in a one-dimensional fashion by special-purpose optical scanning devices that are able to decode the information encoded in the barcodes by measuring the widths and spacings of the parallel barcode lines through reflective light feedback.

Traditional barcodes, however, suffer from the drawback that their one-dimensional structure allows for only a limited amount of information to be encoded in the barcode. For example, a Universal Product Code (UPC), which is a one-dimensional barcode format that enjoys widespread usage today, is capable of encoding only 12 decimal digits or a total of 95 binary bits, including start and end patterns. Because of this limitation, the last couple decades have seen significant growth in the number of standards for two-dimensional or “matrix” barcodes.

Many matrix barcodes provide similar functionality of traditional one-dimensional barcodes by providing a pattern of two-dimensionally arranged squares or other shapes of varying lengths and widths. One example of a type of matrix barcode that has enjoyed popular usage is the Quick Response or “QR” Code standard, an example of which is depicted in FIG. 1. Governed by several standards, QR Codes are capable of storing up to 7,089 decimal numeric code characters, 4,296 ASCII alphanumeric characters, or 2,953 bytes when encoding purely binary data.

Although by no means a new standard, QR Codes have recently gained widespread use as a result of the advancement of mobile devices, such as smartphones, capable of reading and quickly interpreting barcode data such as QR Codes. One common use of QR Codes, as depicted in FIG. 1, has been to encode Uniform Resource Locators (“URLs”), such as website addresses, within QR Codes placed on billboards, mailers, or even buildings to provide consumers with a quick and easy way to visit a company's website without having to memorize, write down, or manually type a URL into a smartphone or other mobile device. Consumers who see a QR Code displayed may take a picture of the QR Code using a camera embedded in the smartphone, for example, and may utilize a smartphone application to automatically translate the QR Code to a URL and launch a browser application pointed to the URL. Additional commercial uses of QR Codes include encoding coupons or other purchase information into QR Codes that customers may decode into graphical or textual coupons to present at businesses to receive discounts on purchased goods or services.

However, as the use of QR codes and other matrix barcodes becomes more widespread, a problem has emerged as the type and sophistication of commercially available scanning devices varies greatly. It therefore becomes a challenge to determine what kind of information to encode in barcodes that will be readable and actionable for the largest number of user scanning devices. Whereas an increasing number of mobile devices may be capable of scanning and decoding barcodes, those mobile devices may vary greatly in terms of which actions they may be capable of taking in response to decoded barcodes.

For example, an author of a barcode may choose to encode a URL in a barcode, such as a URL that points to a webpage containing information about the author's products. However, not all scanning devices capable of decoding the barcode may have web browsing capabilities. Some mobile devices may be capable only of initiating standard telephone calls or sending SMS text messages. Or, a scanning device may have web browsing capabilities, but the smart phone user may not have a data plan that provides for web browsing. Some mobile devices may be SMS capable, but not MMS capable. Moreover, some mobile devices may have sophisticated scanning capabilities, such as the ability to decode barcodes that contain audio or video content and the ability to play such audio or video content, but have no ability to communicate with other devices, such as through wireless transmission or otherwise.

The author of a barcode who wishes to widely disseminate information is thus presented with a predicament. On the one hand, the author may choose to encode a form or type of data into a barcode that will provide users who scan the barcode with the best quality of information or data richness, such as a hyperlink to a webpage or a video clip, in order to accomplish the most effective marketing of the author's information. However, such an approach may greatly limit the extent to which the information can be disseminated to the general public, as many users may use scanning devices that are not capable of accessing or rendering such content. Therefore, on the other hand, the author may choose to encode information in a barcode using a lowest common denominator approach—i.e., by encoding data in the simplest form, such as plain text, that will pose the least technological challenge for the greatest number of scanning devices. However, this latter approach may greatly limit the effectiveness of a barcode marketing campaign, since many users may be denied richer forms of information that their scanning devices would be able to access or render.

Thus, there is a need for methods and systems for incorporating multiple, distinct data items of different types into a single barcode, such as a QR Code, that will allow different users to access different forms of information according to the capabilities of their scanning devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises methods and systems for incorporating multiple, distinct data items of different types into a single barcode, such as a QR Code, that will allow different users to access different forms of information according to the capabilities of their scanning devices. A barcode may, for example, encode both a URL pointing to a webpage descriptive of the barcode author's business and a plain text string that provides basic information about the author's business and directions to the physical location of the business. A first user who scans the barcode may use a first scanning device capable of web browsing and thus may access the webpage referenced by the URL upon scanning the barcode, and potentially ignoring the plain text string. A second user who scans the barcode may use a second scanning device that is not capable of web browsing and thus may simply view the encoded text string using a display interface of the second scanning device. Therefore, a single barcode may provide helpful information to both the first user and the second user according the capabilities of the first and second scanning devices, without resorting to the lowest common denominator of capabilities across all possible devices.

In one embodiment, a multi-mode barcode consistent with the disclosed invention may also specify a preference order for the multiple encoded data items of different types. Or, a scanning device itself may have a factory- or user-supplied preference order for acting on different types of data encoded in the multi-mode barcode. The invention may be applied to any type of barcode standard, including 2-dimensional matrix barcodes, such as QR codes.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary, conventional QR code, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an exemplary device for generating multi-mode barcodes, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of generating a multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an exemplary multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an exemplary device for reading multi-mode barcodes, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of reading a multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an exemplary multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar parts. While several exemplary embodiments and features of the invention are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the proper scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary, conventional QR code, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments. In the QR Code 100, information representing a URL 110 is encoded as a series of black and white boxes arranged in two dimensions.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an exemplary device for generating multi-mode barcodes, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments. Device 200 may be essentially any kind of computing device capable of inputting information; manipulating that information, such as formatting it into a text-delimited or XML-delimited textual scheme; and translating the formatted text into a graphical barcode, such as a QR Code. For example, device 200 may be a general purpose computer, comprising one or more micro processors 210 of varying core configurations and clock frequencies; one or more hard disk drives 220 of varying physical dimensions and storage capacities; one or more random access memory (RAM) modules 230 of varying clock frequencies and memory bandwidth; one or more input/output network connections 240; and one or more peripheral connections or interfaces 250. Device 200 may include or be operatively connected—e.g., by network or wireless connection—to printing device 270 capable of printing any generated barcodes on a number of physical materials, such as paper, plastic, billboard material, etc. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that device 200 or the owner or operator associated with device 200 need not necessarily print or graphically render any barcodes that it generates, but instead may provide electronic or digital data representative of generated barcodes to third parties for printing or distributing the barcodes in other manners.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of generating a multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments. In step 310, a plurality of data items are input and/or retrieved from memory by device 200. A data item may comprise any distinct collection of data that may be encoded in a barcode, such as, a text string, an email address, a phone number, a web address, an image, an audio or video segment, etc. In some embodiments, one or more data items may specify an action to be taken, such as sending an email to a particular email address containing a particular message, downloading a webpage indicated by a URL, calling or sending a text message to a particular phone number, displaying an image, playing an audio or video clip, posting a message to a social networking website, adding a particular event to a calendar, initiating a financial transaction, etc.

In step 320, device 200 arranges the plurality of data items into a formatted binary or textual string of barcode information for subsequent encoding in a barcode. For example, as depicted in FIG. 4, a text string 420 may include data items 421 and 423. Data item 421 may represent a uniform resource identifier (“URI”) 421 b, as flagged by textual identifier 421 a. Data item 423 may represent a URI in the form of an instruction 423 b to send a text message to telephone number 423 c that includes text 423 d.

In step 330, device 200 adds a multi-mode identifier to the barcode information to indicate that the barcode information includes multiple data items of different types. For example, barcode information 420 may include a textual multi-mode identifier 425 located at the beginning of the barcode information that indicates that the barcode information include multiple data items of different types. Multi-mode identifier 425 may indicate the “schema” or format of the following textual information, and thus indicate to devices that read the barcode associated with barcode information 420 that multiple data items of different types may be found in the barcode, as delimited in a particular manner, such as by semicolon.

In some embodiments, device 200 may further add information to the barcode information to specify a particular order in which a scanning device reading a barcode that contains barcode information 420 may take actions with respect to the different data items contained therein. For example, although not depicted in FIG. 4, barcode information 420 could include information to indicate that a scanning device should launch a browser to view the webpage associated with URI 421 b if it has web browsing capabilities, and, if the scanning device does not have web browsing capabilities, to send a text message in accordance with data item 423 as a second option.

Therefore, in step 340, device 200 may determine whether it has been instructed to include a preference order in the barcode that it is generating. If device 200 is instructed to add a preference order to the barcode (step 340, Yes), then device 200 may add a preference order identifier to one or more data items in the barcode information (step 350). Alternatively, rather than adding preference order to data to each and every data item in the barcode information, device 200 may instead simply add a single section of textual data, such as at the beginning of the barcode information, to indicate an ordering of the data items that follow.

If device 200 is not instructed to add a preference order to the barcode (step 340, No), or after device 200 has added preference order information to the barcode, device 200 may then generate a graphical barcode pattern, such as barcode 410, that encodes the barcode information, such as barcode information 420. Although depicted as a QR Code in FIG. 4, barcode 410 may be any type of barcode such as a two-dimensional universal product code (“UPC”) barcode; a stacked barcode, such as a “Codablock” or PDF417 barcode, a high capacity color barcode, DataGlyphs, etc.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an exemplary device for reading and taking action in response to a multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments. Device 500 may be essentially any kind of computing device capable of optically reading graphical bar code data; decoding the graphical bar code data to derive bar code information; and operating on that information by performing various operations such as one or more of displaying text or images, initiating a telephone call, sending a text message, accessing a webpage, playing audio or video content, etc. For example, device 500 may be a commercially available mobile device such as a mobile phone or smartphone with optical camera componentry and one or more software applications for decoding images of barcodes captured by the camera componentry.

Device 500 may further comprise one or more micro processors 510 of varying core configurations and clock frequencies; one or more flash drives 520 of varying physical dimensions and storage capacities; one or more random access memory (RAM) modules 530 of varying clock frequencies and memory bandwidth; one or more wireless transceivers 540; and one or more peripheral connections or interfaces 550. Device 500 may communicate with other devices via cellular wireless access, such as using Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”), via wireless Ethernet protocols, or via a serial wire interface such as USB, etc.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of reading and authenticating a multi-mode barcode, consistent with certain disclosed embodiments. In step 610, scanning device 500 optically reads a barcode such as multi-mode bar code 710. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that device 500 may include functionality or logic for reading multiple types of barcodes and, for each type of barcode, determining whether the barcode is a multi-mode barcode, consistent with disclosed embodiments of this invention, or a conventional type of barcode.

In step 620, scanning device 500 decodes barcode 710 to translate the graphical patterns of the physical barcode into the information encoded within the barcode—e.g., barcode information 720—according to the standards of the relevant barcode type, for example using a dedicated barcode decoding software or hardware component. In step 630, scanning device 500, through analyzing barcode information 720 or otherwise, detects that barcode 710 is a multi-mode barcode, consistent with disclosed embodiments of the invention. For example, scanning device 500 may detect the presence of multiple distinct data items 722-727 of different types in barcode information 720. Alternatively, scanning device 500 may detect the presence of an identifier, such as identifier 721, that indicates that barcode 710 is a multi-mode barcode.

Scanning device 500 may respond to the present of multiple data items in a number of different ways. In one embodiment, scanning device 500 may choose to perform an action specified by a data item according to the capabilities of the scanning device (steps 640 and 650). For example, as depicted FIG. 7, barcode information 720 is encoded as XML encoded text containing separate XML elements representing separate data items 722-727. Data item 722 may represent a data item of type “web address” in the form of a domain name. If device 500 is able to connect to the Internet to access the webpage specified by the domain name (and, e.g., if the device is associated with an appropriate data plan for such Internet access), device 500 may elect to retrieve the specified webpage using standard hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”) operations and display the webpage to the user on a screen or other output means.

If scanning device 500 is not capable of accessing webpages, or if scanning device 500 is not associated with an appropriate data plan for such Internet access, scanning device 500 may instead execute the action specified by data item 723. That is, scanning device 500 may send a text message to the specified phone number that includes the text “video clip of the day.” In response, scanning device 500 may receive a multimedia messaging service (“MMS”) text message containing a video clip. Because data item 723 is of the type “MMS text message,” scanning device 500 may elect to take the action specified by data item 723 only if it is capable of receiving MMS text messages.

If scanning device 500 is not capable of receiving MMS text messages, or if scanning device 500 is not associated with an appropriate data plan for MMS text messages, scanning device 500 may instead execute the action specified by data item 724. That is, scanning device 500 may send a text message to the specified phone number that includes the text “upcoming events.” In response, scanning device 500 may receive a short message service (“SMS”) text message containing plain text about upcoming events or other news.

If scanning device 500 is not capable of receiving SMS text messages, or if scanning device 500 is not associated with an appropriate data plan for SMS text messages, scanning device 500 may instead execute the action specified by data item 725. That is, scanning device 500 may initiate a standard voice telephone call to the telephone number specified by data item 725. For example, the specified telephone number may provide pre-recorded news or product information, or may connect the user to a person capable of providing information or answering questions about the subject matter or author of the barcode.

If scanning device 500 is not capable of initiating telephone calls, or if scanning device 500 is not associated with an appropriate service plan for telephone calls, scanning device 500 may instead execute the action specified by data item 726. That is, scanning device 500 may play an audio clip, the contents of which are specified by the hexadecimal data provided by data item 726.

If scanning device 500 is not capable of decoding audio data or playing audio clips, scanning device 500 may instead execute the action specified by data item 727. That is, scanning device 500 may simply display the textual data provided by data item 727.

Although not depicted in FIG. 7, additional types of data items that may be encoded in a multi-mode barcode, consistent with this invention, include an email address to which to send an email; an email message that may be sent to an email address of the scanning device's or the user's choosing; contact details, such as a vCard; an event that may be added to an electronic calendar; an address or other location information that may be input into an electronic or mobile mapping program; a link or other mechanism for enabling a user to make a purchase, donate to a cause, or otherwise effect monetary transactions; a link or other mechanism to post or share an item using a social networking website or platform; a video clip; etc.

As described above, scanning device 500 could elect to execute an action associated with a scanning device based on a capability of the scanning device. If scanning device 500 is capable of executing more than one type of data item included in the multi-mode barcode, scanning device may elect to execute the action associated with the richest type of data experience for the user. For example, scanning device 500 could be configured to always elect to access webpages, if specified by a multi-mode barcode, over other data communication actions, such as text messages or phone calls. Scanning device 500 could also be configured to always elect to access resources that require data connectivity to other devices, such as receiving text messages or placing phone calls, over actions that involve purely local actions, such as playing audio or video clips or displaying text. Scanning device 500 could also be configured to always elect to display or play media or multimedia, such as audio or video clips or pictures, over data items that specify only plain text to display.

Scanning device 500 may maintain an internal preference order indicating which types of data items should receive preference over which other types of data items in the event that multiple data items of different types are encoded in a multi-mode barcode, consistent with this invention. Scanning device 500 may also allow a user to specify a preference order for data item types. For example, a user may instruct scanning device 500 to access webpages as a first preference, if a web address is specified by the barcode, and to display plain text as a second preference. The user may configure scanning device 500 to take actions specified by data items according to a simplest to most complex fashion, according to an order that will result in the lowest amount of data transfer that will charged against the user's account, or according to media preference order (e.g., videos, whether through web access or as provided by the barcode, are to be preferred, over audio, which itself is to be preferred over images and over text). Scanning device 500 may also provide functionality for prompting the user to select which action to take when multiple types of data items are included in a multi-mode barcode.

As depicted in FIG. 7, a multi-mode barcode itself may specify a preference order for its multiple data items. For example, multi-mode identifier 721 not only indicates that barcode is of type “multi-mode,” but also indicates that the actions specified by the following data items 722-727 have a preference ranking according to the order in which they occur in the barcode information 720. Alternatively, although not depicted in FIG. 7, barcode information 720 could provide a separate preference identifier for each data item 722-727.

Scanning device 500 may detect the preference identifier 721 specified by barcode information 720 and execute the action specified by the first data item in the sequence of data items for which scanning device is capable of taking the specified action. Scanning device 500 could also choose to ignore any preference information provided by barcode information 720 and elect instead to follow a preference order specified by scanning device 500, such as a default device-specific preference order, a user-supplied preference order, or a real-time user indication of which action to take in response to a user prompt.

In another embodiment, a barcode may include a data item that instructs the user's scanning device to communicate with a separate external device, such as a server. The scanning device, after decoding the barcode, may communicate with the server and may indicate information specified by the barcode, such as a unique number or other identifier and/or information regarding the capabilities of the scanning device. In response, the server may transmit information back to the scanning device. For example, the server may present the scanning device, and thus the user, with a series of options for accessing various types of information, such as webpages, text message information, audio or video content, plain text, etc. The user may then select which type of data the user would like to access, or the scanning device may make a selection automatically for the user. Alternatively, the server may determine one or more appropriate types of data to provide to the scanning device in accordance with the capabilities of the scanning device, and may send only those appropriate types of data back to the scanning device, or may present only those options to the scanning device.

Using this technique, a multi-mode barcode in accordance with the invention may indirectly specify multiple data types by providing an index or other kind of identifier in the barcode, and that index may be resolved by a separate server to specify the multiple actions specified by the barcode. Also, using this technique, the author of the barcode, or the operator of the resolution server, may dynamically change the data items associated with a given barcode at a later time without having to modify the barcode itself.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although described primarily in the context of barcodes for optical scanning, the present invention may be applied to any situation in which physical objects or phenomena in which machine-readable information has been encoded are converted to digital or electronic data by a scanning, listening, or other detection advice. For example, the present invention may be applied to information encoded within magnetic strips, audio signals, RFID signals, near field communication (NFC) signals, and other real-world “hardlinks.”

The foregoing description of the invention, along with its associated embodiments, has been presented for purposes of illustration only. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing the invention. For example, the steps described need not be performed in the same sequence discussed or with the same degree of separation. Likewise various steps may be omitted, repeated, or combined, as necessary, to achieve the same or similar objectives. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims in light of their full scope of equivalents. 

We claim:
 1. A method implemented by a scanning device in order to process a multi-mode barcode, the method comprising: reading a graphical data representation of a barcode pattern; generating barcode information from the graphical data representation; identifying a plurality of distinct data items present in the barcode information, wherein each distinct data item specifies an action that the scanning device is to execute; selecting a first action to execute based on a preference order, wherein the first action corresponds to a first distinct data item included in the plurality of distinct data items and has a higher ranking in the preference order than other actions corresponding to other distinct data items included in the plurality of distinct data items; and executing the first action specified by the first distinct data item.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a request for the preference order to a remote server, and, in response, receiving the preference order from the remote server, wherein the preference order indicates an order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request for the preference order includes one or more capabilities of the scanning device, and the remote server generates the preference order based on the one or more capabilities.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more capabilities of the scanning device include at least one of wireless connectivity capability, web browsing capability, email processing capability, text message processing capability, image processing capability, and sound processing capability.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the barcode information includes one or more preference order identifiers indicating a default order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the plurality of distinct data items is associated with a plurality of data types, wherein the first distinct data item is associated with a first data type, and a second distinct data item included in the plurality of distinct data items is associated with a second data type.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of data types includes at least one of a web address, plain text, an email address, a text message, an image, and a sound.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the preference order indicates a ranking of data types included in the plurality of data types, and further comprising determining an order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed based on the ranking of the data types.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user to select a preferred action to execute based on the actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items, receiving a user selection of the preferred action, and performing the preferred action selected by the user.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first action comprises: identifying two or more distinct data items that are included in the plurality of distinct data items and specify actions that the scanning device is capable of executing; and determining which distinct data item included the two or more distinct data items has a highest ranking in the preference order.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first distinct data item comprises the distinct data item included in the two or more distinct data items having the highest ranking, and a first data type associated with the first distinct data item has a higher ranking in the preference order than any data types associated with any other distinct data items included in the two or more distinct data items.
 12. A scanning device, comprising: an optical sensor that reads a graphical representation of a barcode pattern; a memory that is coupled to the optical sensor and includes instructions; and at least one processor that is coupled to the memory and, when executing the instructions, is configured to: process the graphical data representation to generate barcode information, identify a plurality of distinct data items present in the barcode information, wherein each distinct data item specifies an action that the scanning device is to execute, select a first action to execute based on a preference order, wherein the first action corresponds to a first distinct data item included in the plurality of distinct data items and has a higher ranking in the preference order than other actions corresponding to other distinct data items included in the plurality of distinct data items, and execute the first action specified by the first distinct data item.
 13. The scanning device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a request for the preference order to a remote server, and, in response, receive the preference order from the remote server, wherein the preference order indicates an order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed.
 14. The scanning device of claim 13, wherein the request for the preference order includes one or more capabilities of the scanning device, and the remote server generates the preference order based on the one or more capabilities.
 15. The scanning device of claim 14, wherein the one or more capabilities of the scanning device include at least one of wireless connectivity capability, web browsing capability, email processing capability, text message processing capability, image processing capability, and sound processing capability.
 16. The scanning device of claim 12, wherein the barcode information includes one or more preference order identifiers indicating a default order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed.
 17. The scanning device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the plurality of distinct data items is associated with a plurality of data types, wherein the first distinct data item is associated with a first data type, and a second distinct data item included in the plurality of distinct data items is associated with a second data type.
 18. The scanning device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of data types includes at least one of a web address, plain text, an email address, a text message, an image, and a sound.
 19. The scanning device of claim 17, wherein the preference order indicates a ranking of data types included in the plurality of data types, and further comprising determining an order in which the first action and the other actions should be executed based on the ranking of the data types.
 20. The scanning device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prompt a user to select a preferred action to execute based on the actions specified by the plurality of distinct data items, receive a user selection of the preferred action, and perform the preferred action selected by the user.
 21. The scanning device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the first action by: identifying two or more distinct data items that are included in the plurality of distinct data items and specify actions that the scanning device is capable of executing; and determining which distinct data item included the two or more distinct data items has a highest ranking in the preference order.
 22. The scanning device of claim 21, wherein the first distinct data item comprises the distinct data item included in the two or more distinct data items having the highest ranking, and a first data type associated with the first distinct data item has a higher ranking in the preference order than any data types associated with any other distinct data items included in the two or more distinct data items. 